Burner-inlet valve for gas lighters



Oct. 11, 1966 A. o. KLEIN E BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTERS OriginalFiled March 29, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS ARTHUR O. KLEIN BY JAMES0. SMITH log N ON BEHALF OF HIMSELF AND AS ATTORNEY FOR JAMES D.SMITHOct. 11, 1966 ,o K| 1 ETAL 3,277,674

BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTERS Original Filed March 29, 1963 FIG.4.,

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ARTHUR o. KLEIN JAMES 0. SMITH ON BEHALF OFHIMSELF AND AS ATTORNEY FOR JAMES D. SMITH Oct. 11, 1966 A. o. KLEIN ETAL 3,277,674 BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTERS Original Filed March29, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 ARTHUR O. KLEIN JAMES D. SMITH ON BEHALF OFHIMSELF AND AS ATTORNEY FOR JAMES 0. SMITH.

Oct. 11, 1966 A. o. KLEIN ETAL BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTERS 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed March 29, 1963 FIG. 9.

INVENTORS ARTHUR O. KLEIN BY JAMES 0. SMITH ON BEHALF OF HIMSELF AND ASATTORNEY FOR JAMES 0. SMITH.

United States Patent 3,277,674 BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR GAS LIGHTERSArthur 0. Klein, New York, and James D. Smith, Pittsford, -N.Y.,assignors to Ronson Corporation, Woodbridge, N.J., a corporation of NewJersey Continuation of application Ser. No. 269,026, Mar. 29, 1963. Thisapplication Aug. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 486,265

13 Claims. (Cl. 677.1)

This is a continuation of application Serial No. 269,026, filed March29, 1963, which was abandoned :on October 4, 1965.

This invention relates to cigarette lighters and similar devices of thetype which use liquefied gas a fuel, and more particularly to means thatcan alternatively function as burner valve means and inlet valve means.

Valves for admitting liquefied gas from a refill vessel having aconnecting member to the reservoirs of gas lighters or the like arealready known in the art. Such valve means comprise generally at leastone outer or fixed member, one inner or movable member, and at least onesealing member.

Burner valves for gas lighters are also known in the art. Such burnervalves generally comprise a fixed outer member, movable inner member,gas flow throttling means between the outer fixed and the movable innermember, and shut-off means which can be selectively operated to permitthe controlled escape of gas through said burner valve.

Inlet valves of the aforedescribed type which are especially intendedfor filling the reservoir of a lighter using liquefied gas are describedfor example in US. Patents Nos. Re. 24,163 and 2,882,940.

Burner valves of the aforedescribed type which are utilized in liquefiedgas lighters and are generally in communication with the reservoir ofsaid lighters are describe-d for example in US. Patent 2,620,643 and2,561,- 270 and French Patent No. 787,706 granted on July 8, 1935, andwhich issued in the name of M. Pingeot.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that in the past, attempts havebeen made to combine the inlet valve and burner valve of a liquefied gaslighter into one housing. Examples of such a construction can be foundin the German published patent application No. 1,059,224. However, inthe embodiment disclosed and described in the aforementioned publishedpatent application the inlet valve is situated on the bottom wall of thecasing or reservoir of a gas lighter and the burner valve is situated onthe opposite top wall of the same casing or reservoir.

The prior art also describes combination burner and inlet valves havingeither a fixed or a flexible housing which is located on the top wall ofthe casing or reservoir of a gas lighter. This housing serves the dualfunction of a burner valve housing and an inlet valve housing. However,various prior art constructions have different inner movable valvemembers for the burner valve and inlet valve. These inner movable valvemembers had to be exchanged in order to adapt the valve as a whole tofunction as either a burner valve or an inlet valve. Illustrative ofthis prior art are the disclosures in French Patent No. 923,219,Quercia, February 17, 1947, and US. Patent No. 2,608,081.

All of the aforedescribed constructions have certain importantdisadvantages. For instance, a standard gas lighter known in the priorart has a burner valve which is generally mounted on the top plate ofthe casing of the gas lighter, and an inlet valve which is generallymounted on the bottom plate of the casing. Both the burner valve andinlet valve of a gas lighter have complicated parts which requireprecision manufacture and are, therefore, expensive to construct andassemble. Furmovable member of the inlet valve.

3,277,674 Patented Oct. 11, 1966 See thermore, since butane, propane andlike liquefied gases are confined in the reservoir of a gas lighterunder considerable pressure, the burner and inlet valves must beconstructed and mounted in the reservoir of the gas lighter in such amanner so that the-re is no gas leakage of the pressurized, liquefiedgas stored in the reservoir. It will be obvious to those persons skilledin the art that, since there are two separately mounted valves, thepossibilities of leakage are approximately doubled. The aforedescribeddisadvantage also exists in the embodiments described and illustrated inthe German published patent application No. 1,059,224. Despite the factthat there is only one tubular valve housing extending through theentire lighter casing, this type of combination inletburner valve isalso complicated because there are separate inner movable valve membersfor the inlet and burner valves. Here too, leakage may occur through twodifferent sealing surfaces. Furthermore, since there are separate innermovable valve members, the difficulty and expense of manufacture and thepossibilities of malfunctioning of this type of combination burner-inletvalve are not significantly reduced from those known constructions whichhave separate burner and inlet valves.

Lastly, the combination burner and inlet valves disclosed in FrenchPatent No. 923,219, Quercia, February 17, 1947, and US. Patent No.2,608,081 also have important disadvantages. The housing for both theinlet and burner valve is mounted generally on the top plate of thecasing of the gas lighter. This housing has the dual function ofproviding alternatively a seat for the inner movable member of theburner valve and the inner However, separate and distinct inner movablemembers for the burner and inlet valves are used in these types ofcombination valves, so that when the function of the valve is to bechanged from burner valve to inlet valve, the inner movable membercorresponding to one of the two functions must be removed and replacedby the inner movable member corresponding to the other of the functions.This obviously makes a very cumbersome gas lighter.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a combinationburner-inlet valve having only one housing and one inner movable memberand which can perform satisfactorily both the functions of a burnervalve and an inlet valve for a liquefied gas lighter.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a burner-inlet valvehaving a simplified and more economic construction than thosecombination burner and inlet valves of the aforedescribed characterwhich are known in the art. I

A burner-inlet valve according to our invention comprises a valvehousing that is adapted to be mounted in a wall of the reservoir of agas lighter. Generally, the reservoir of such a lighter is partiallyfilled with pressurized gaseous fuel such as butane, propane or thelike. An inner valve member is movably mounted within the valve housingand has an axial passage through which the fuel in gaseous form isreleased to a burner and through which liquefied gas may be passed intothe reservoir of the gas lighter as it is refilled from time to time.This inner valve member is provided with at least one port which ispositioned to place the passagein communication with the reservoir whenthe inner member is moved to a refill or inlet position, but isotherwise blocked when the inner member is in another position calledthe burner position. The inner member also has at least one port whichis positioned in relation to the housing to place the passage incommunication with the reservoir at least during the time when the innermember is in the burner position. Generally, the passage of fuel fromthe reservoir to the passage when the inner member is in the burnerposition is throttled by appropriate means.

The novel features which are characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims.

Several illustrative embodiments of burner-inlet valves constructed inaccordance with this invention, together with particular objects andadvantages thereof, are described in the following specification and areillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation in cross section of one embodiment of thisinvention showing the burner-inlet valve in the burner-open position;

FIG. 2 is an elevation in cross section of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 showing the connecting member of a refill vessel depressing theinner movable mem- 'ber of the burner-inlet valve so that the valve isin the inlet-open position;

FIG. 3, also an elevation in cross section, illustrates anotherembodiment of this invention similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1and 2 in which the inner movable member of the burner-inlet valve hasbeen depressed by a connecting member of a refill vessel. Thisembodiment is distinguished from the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 by the existence of an exhaust passage which is opened to vent thereservoir of the gas lighter during the filling operation;

FIG. 4 is an elevation in cross section of a third embodiment of thisinvention in which the burner-inlet valve includes means for adjustingthe gas flow throttling device of the valve, said burner-inlet valvebeing shown in the burner-open position;

FIG. 4A is a bottom plan view along lines 4A of FIG.

FIG. 4B is a sectional view along lines 4B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is an elevation in cross section of the embodiment shown in FIG.4 wherein the burner-inlet valve is in the inlet-open position;

FIG. 6 is an elevation in cross section of a fourth embodiment of thisinvention showing the burner-inlet valve in the inlet-open position,said burner valve also having means for adjusting the gas flowthrottling device of the valve;

FIG. 7 is an elevation in cross section of a fifth embodiment of thisinvention showing a burner-inlet valve which also has means foradjusting the gas flow throttling device of the burner-inlet valve;

FIG. 7A is a partial elevation partly in cross section of a lighterincorporating the burner-inlet valve of FIG. 7 and showing the lighterin the burner-operating position and the valve in the burner-openposition;

FIG. 7B is a partial elevation partly in cross section of the lighter ofFIG. 7A and showing the valve of FIG. 7 in the inlet-open position sothat the reservoir of the lighter may be filled through a connectingmember from a refill vessel;

FIG. 8 is an illustration in perspective of a gas lighter whichincorporates a burner-inlet valve according to this invention;

FIG. 9 is an elevation in cross section of an adaptor for connecting arefill vessel to a burner-inlet valve such as that shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation showing the cooperative relations amongthe burner-inlet valve of FIG. 3, the adaptor of FIG. 9, and the neck ofa refill vessel, the valve being in the inlet-open position;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view in perspective of the top portion of a gaslighter incorporating any of the humerinlet valves illustrated in FIGS.1 to 10 and an adaptor having a piercing member and the neck of a refillvessel, the figure demonstrating how to fill said gas lighter withliquefied pressurized gas.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a burnerinlet valve havingan exterior housing 1 preferably of cylindrical shape that is screwed ina gas tight manner into or Welded to a wall (not illustrated) of areservoir, for example, the reservoir of a lighter fueled with liquefiedgas. The housing 1 forms a receptacle for a valve seating portion 2which is screwed into the housing 1 by means of a special key (notillustrated) that engages recesses 3 of the seating portion 2. A sealingwasher 4 is positioned intermediate the housing 1 and the seatingportion 2 to provide a gas tight seal between the aforementioned twoparts. A central axial bore 5 extends through the seating portion 2, andan annular recess 6 is provided along a part of the inside Wall of thebore 5. An inner movable valve member 7 having an axial bore 8 extendsthrough the axial bore 5. The inner movable valve member 7 also has abottom Wall 9 with an axial through-hole 10. The inner movable valvemember 7 has a small annular recess 11 opposite recess 6 in the seatingportion 2. The inner movable member 7 has at its upper end a flangeportion 12 and the seating portion 2 has at its top surface an annularcollar 15 extending axially upward.

A filter element 14, made of any suitable porous material such assintered metal, plastic or ceramic, surrounds the bottom end of theinner movable member 7 and is secured thereto by engagement with anannular recess 13.

The inner valve member 7 also has another annular recess 21 having upperand lower shoulders respectively designated as 16a and 16b.Through-holes 17 extend transversely through the inner valve member 7within the recess 21. An annular sealing member 18, the thickness ofwhich is less than the length of the recess 21, is movably seated in therecess 21 and serves to seal the through-holes 17 when the valve is inthe burner-open position shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, we providean annular seat 19 on the bottom wall of the seating portion 2 whichcooperates with the sealing member 18 to form a valve. A sealing ring 20is located in the recess 11 and serves to prevent any escape of gaswhich may pass around the sealing member 18 during the filling operationas illustrated in FIG. 2. A partly compressed coil spring 21b or otherbiasing means is positioned between the top Wall of the seating portion2 and the undersurface of the flange 12. When the valve is in theburneropen position, this coil spring 2112 urges the inner movable valvemember 7 in an upward direction so that the shoulder 16b urges thesealing member 18 against the annular seat 19; thus upward movement ofthe inner movable valve member 7 is consequently limited by therespective engagements of shoulder 16b, sealing member 18, and annularseat 19.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing one of the embodiments of the burner-inletvalve forming part of this invention is illustrated in the burner-openposition. In this position of the valve pressurized liquefied gas storedin the reservoir of the gas lighter may pass through the filter element14, the through-hole 10, the axial bore 8, and then emerge in gaseousform from the burner opening Where the gas forms a flame 22 whenignited. a

In FIG. 2 of the drawing the burner-inlet valve of FIG. 1 is illustratedin the inlet-open position in which pressurized liquefied gas from arefill vessel (not illustrated) may pass through a connecting neckportion 23, the axial bore 8, and the through-holes 17 into thereservoir of a gas lighter or the like. In both FIGS. 1 and 2 thedirection and course of the gas flow is illustrated by means of smallarrows. In FIG. 2 it will be noted that the neck 23 of the refill vesselis placed over the burner opening so that it abuts against the flange 12of the inner movable member. By applying pressure against the flange 12by means of the neck portion 23 the inner movable member is movedaxially downward against the action of the coil spring 2112. The sealingring 20, which is seated in the annular recess 11, moves together withthe inner movable member 7, and the sealing member 18 mounted in recess21 will also be carried downward until its outer periphery engages thelower wall 24 of the housing 1, whereupon further downward movement ofthe inner member 7 will cause the sealing member 18 to slide toward thetop of recess 21 and to uncover the through-holes 17. As soon as thisoccurs, the liquefied gas can flow from the refill vessel into thereservoir of the gas lighter. The downward movement of the inner movablevalve member 7 is limited by the action of the spring 21b and also bythe respective engagements of the shoulder 16a and the sealing member18. As will be noted, after a certain downward movement of the innermovable member the shoulder 16a engages with the inner portion of thesealing member 18 whereas the outer portion of the sealing member 18abuts against the bottom wall 24 of the housing 1.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that unless the pressurewithin the reservoir of the gas lighter is lower than the pressure inthe refill vessel no gas will pass from the refill vessel into thereservoir of the gas lighter in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2. There are several means known in the art for inducing necessarypressure differential. However, we have devised an advantageousmodification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which positivelyrelieves the pressure in the reservoir. Burner-inlet valves having thisas well as other modifications to be described below are illustrated inFIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and and are to be considered as a part of thisinvention. All of these embodiments illustrate burner-inlet valves whichhave a vent to put the reservoir of the gas lighter into communicationwith the atmosphere during the filling operation. The embodiment of FIG.3 is substantially identical to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 exceptthat a vent is provided that will place the reservoir of the gas lighterinto communication with the atmosphere during the filling operation. Itcan be noted that in this embodiment the sealing ring 20 with theaccompanying annular recesses 6 and 11 are omitted. Therefore, when theinner movable member 7 is moved axially downward by the neck 23 of arefill vessel the latter is put into communication with the reservoir ofthe gas lighter via the axial bore 8 and the through-holes 17. Almostsimultaneously therewith, gas from the reservoir of the lighter mayescape through hole 25 and the space between the outer walls of theinner movable member 7 and the inner walls of the axial bore 5 of theseating portions 2. By putting the reservoir of the gas lighter intocommunication with the atmosphere during the filling operation, thepressure inside the reservoir becomes automatically lower than that inthe refill vessel so that the pressure in the refill vessel will causethe pressurized liquefied gas to flow from the refill vessel into thereser- V011.

Furthermore, it will also be evident to those skilled in the art thatthe level of pressurized liquefied gas in the reservoir will not riseabove the level of the hole 25. Any additional fuel that is transferredinto the reservoir through the inlet valve will escape in the form of afine mist after the pressurized liquefied gas inside the reservoir hasrisen to the level of the hole 25. For this purpose, the last mentionedhole 25 has a cross sectional area larger than the combined crosssectional area of through-holes 17.

Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a thirdembodiment of an inlet-burner valve together with the associated snuffermechanism of a gas lighter. In two upwardly projecting wall 34 of thelighter casing 26 there is mounted the usual snuffer mechanism having anaxle 28 on which is rotatably mounted a spark wheel 29 and a snufier cap30. Within the frame of the snuffer cap 30 there is situated a spring31, a rubber sealing disc 32 and a retaining ring 33. Upon release ofthe actuating mechanism (not shown) of the gas lighter the snuifer willbe urged by a biasing means (not shown) to rotate approximately 90degrees towards the adjacently mounted burner-inlet valve and the rubberdisc 32 of the snuffer 30 will come to rest on top of the burner-openingof the inner movable memher 7, thereby extinguishing the flame andshutting off any further gas flow.

Similar to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the inner movablemember 7 in FIG. 4 has the axial bore 8, the bottom wall 9, and thethrough-hole 10. It can also be noted that the embodiment of FIG. 4 hasa slightly different housing 1 which is welded to the walls 26 of thelighter casing and that a sub-housing 1a is press fitted over thehousing 1. The bottom wall 35 of the sub-housing 1a has one cross-shapedhole 36 as shown in FIG. 4a. In addition thereto, there is on the sideof the cylindrical walls of the sub-housing 1a a cross hole 25 forventing the interior of the gas lighter reservoir. The housing 1 isprovided with an annular seat 19a and an inturned annular end portion19b. In addition, the housing 1 has a hOle 25a which is co-axial withhole 25. The inner movable member 7 is provided with an annular platform16c which forms the lower shoulder of an annular recess 21a. As in theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, through-holes 17 extendtransversely through the inner valve member 7 within the recess 21a andan annular sealing member 18 is movably seated in the recess 21a andserves to seal the through-holes 17 when the inner member 7 is in theburner-open position. The inner movable member 7 has a lower threadedportion 7a on which is mounted a threaded valve member 37. A compressionspring 38 is situated between member 37 and the bottom wall 35 of thesub housing 1a and urges the valve member 37 jointly with the innervalve member 7 and the sealing member 18 in an upward direction. In thismanner, the annular platform 16c urges the sealing member 18 against theannular seat 19a. The upward movement of the inner movable valve member7 is consequently limited by the respective engagement of platform 16c,sealing member 18, and the annular seat 13a.

The valve member 37 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 4a and 4b. Ascan be noted from FIG. 4b an axial bore 38d extends into the valvemember 37 and a portion 38a of this axial bore is threaded and isadapted to receive the lower threaded end of the inner movable valvemember 7. Below the threaded portion 38a. of the bore 380! there is anon-threaded portion which is adapted to receive a metal or plastic ball39 and the Wick of cotton-like material which form part of the gasthrottling means of the burner-inlet valve. The construction and thefunctioning of the throttling means will be explained below. Twosymmetrical recesses 38b are provided on each side of the valve member37 so that a transverse through-hole 380 is formed at the lower end ofthe axial bore 38d. The ball 39 is thus nestled in a cradle 41 formed bytwo inclined surfaces at the bottom of the bore 380! and the wick 40 issituated between the upper surface of the ball 41 and the lower end ofthe inner movable valve member 7 and extends transversely and below themember 7. Due to the two symmetrical recesses in valve member 37 thesame is T-shaped. The lower end of the T of valve member 37 is adaptedto move through the hole 36 of the sub-housing 1a and the wick 40extends through the same hole 36 into the reservoir of the gas lighter.

An adjusting wheel 27 having a knurled peripheral surface is mounted sothat it rests on the top wall 26 of the gas lighter and is slidableaxially along the upper portion of the inner movable valve member 7.This may be done by making the upper portion of the inner movable valvemember 7 hexagonal and also making the axial bore 42 of the adjustingwheel 27 hexagonal so that the wheel loosely engages the hexagonalportion of the member 7. Thus, when the adjusting wheel 27 is manuallyrotated, the inner movable valve member 7 will rotate with it, butmember 37 will not rotate because of engagement of the lower portion ofthe T-shape in the hole 36. This permits the part 7a to be screwed in orout of the threaded bore of the member 37 to adjust the pressure exertedon the Wick 40. This wick dips into the liquefied gas in the reservoirand conducts it to the valve through-hole 10 by capillarity. By varyingthe pressure exerted on the wick by the bottom wall 9 the capillarity ofthe wick may be varied, thus controlling the flow of gas to the valve.

In FIG. 4 of the drawing, the burner-inlet valve is illustrated in theburner-open position in which the sealing member 18 seals thethrough-holes 17. FIG. 5 of the drawing illustrates the sameburner-inlet valve on an enlarged scale in the inlet-open position. Inboth drawings, the direction and course of flow of the gas is indicatedby small arrows.

In FIG. 5 the neck 23 of a refill vessel abuts the upper end of theinner movable valve member 7 to press the member 7 in a downwarddirection so that the crossholes 17 pass the sealing member 18substantially as described in connection with FIG. 2. In this manner,communication is established between the refill vessel and the interiorof the lighter reservoir. As can be noted, the sealing member 18 ismovably seated in the annular recess 21 in a manner which is similar tothe corresponding structure of FIGS. 1 to 3. In the burner-open positionshown in FIG. 4, the sealing member 18 is wedged against the annularseat 19a by the annular platform 16c and covers the cross-holes 17. Inthis manner, both the exhaust passage, through the holes 25, 25a andalong the space between the outer periphery of the inner movable valvemember 7 and the axial bore 5 of the valve housing 1, as well as theinlet passage through the holes 17, are sealed. In FIG. 5 both theaforementioned passages have been open due to the downward movement ofthe inner movable valve member 7 through the sealing member 18. Thisopens almost simultaneously both the filling and venting passages to thereservoir of the gas lighter.

In FIG. 6 there is illustrated a fourth embodiment forming part of thisinvention. This embodiment is practically identical to the embodiment ofFIGS. 4 to 5 with the exception of the shut-off mechanism of the burnervalve. The burner-inlet valve is also here illustrated in the inlet-openposition. The shut-off mechanism of FIG. 6 comprises a shut-off stem 42which extends axially through the bore 8 of the inner movable valvemember 7 down to the through-hole thereof. An annular seating portion 9ais provided at the bottom of the inner movable valve member 7. The lowerend of the shut-0E stem 42 is provided with a T-shaped metal portion 42ato which is secured a rubber shutoff disc 42b.

Unless pressure is applied to the upper end of the shutoff stem 42, gasevaporating from the wick 40 through the through-hole 10 will passthrough the inner axial bore 8 of the member 7. In order to shut off theburner valve, we provide a snuifer cap 30 similar to the snufier capused in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Within the frame of thesnuffer cap 30 there is a spring 31a which urges a metal or the likeball 43 against the retain ing washer 33a. As can be noted, the ball 43protrudes slightly through the central hole of the washer 33a. Uponrelease of the actuating mechanism (not shown) of the gas lighter, thesnufier cap 30 will be urged by a biasing means (not shown) to rotateapproximately 90 degrees towards the adjacent burner-inlet valve. Theprotruding surface of the ball 43 will thereupon resiliently strike thetop portion of the shut-off stem 42 and thereby urge the rubber shut-oidisc 42b via the T-shaped portion 42a against the annular seat 911. Inthis manner, the gas flow into the burner valve portion of the burnerinlet valve is shut olf. It will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat the snuffer springs 31 and 31a must have spring forces smaller thanthe corresponding spring forces of spring 38 so that the inner movablevalve member 7 is not pushed downwardly by the snuffer to unseal thethrough-holes 17. In FIG. 7 there is illustrated a fifth embodiment ofthe burner-inlet valve. Here the valve is shown in the burner-openposition. This embodiment is very similar to those illustrated in FIGS.4 to 6. The main difference consists in the shut-off mechanism of theburner valve. In this embodiment, the inner movable valve member 7a isadapted to telescopically receive a burner tube 8a. At the upper end ofthe inner movable valve member 7a there is press fitted into the bore 8a cylindrical member 44 which is provided with an internal annularrecess 45 having a sealing ring 46 seated thereon. The burner tube 8a isprovided with an external annular shoulder 47. A spring 48a is mountedbetween the bottom end of the member 44 and the top of the shoulder 47to bias the bottom end of the burner tube 8a downwardly against a seat9b formed at the bottom of the inner movable valve member 7a. The shapeof the shutoff disc 42c and the corresponding lower end of the innermovable valve member 7a and the annular seat 9b form part of theconstruction described and claimed in US. Patent No. 3,123,992. Theapplication Serial No. 32,437 for that patent was filed by J. DonaldSmith, the coinventor of the instant application, and another.Application Serial No. 32,437 was co-pending with application Serial No.269,026, the parent of the instant application.

Through-holes 17a are provided in the burner tube 8a and these areadapted to register with the through-holes 17 of the inner movable valvemember 7a when the burner-inlet valve is in the inlet-open position. Ascan be noted, the burner tube 8a is adapted to move axially inside theinner movable valve member 7a so as to selectively close or open thethrough-hole 10. The movement of the burner tube 8a is controlled by afork lift mechanism 48 which is further illustrated in FIGS. 7a and 71;.FIG. 7a illustrates a gas lighter having a burner-inlet valve accordingto this invention and in which the valve is shown in the burner-openposition. As can be noted, a fingerpiece 49 is pivotably mounted on thetop of the gas lighter. A member 50 is slidably mounted in the top wallof the fingerpiece and has a downwardly extending projection 51. Whenthe fingerpiece is depressed the projection 51, which is shown in FIG.7a in its operative position, is adapted to bear down on the fork lift48 and thereby lift the tube 8a from the seat 911 of the inner movablevalve member 7a.

In FIG. 7b the same gas lighter is shown in the inletopen position. Herethe slidable member 50 has been moved transversely to its inoperativeposition so that projection 51 no longer rests on top of the fork liftmechanism 48. Consequently, the lower end of the burner tube 8a has beenreturned to the shut-off position due to the action of the spring 48a.Now the neck 23 of a refill vessel may bear down on rim 8b around themouth of the burner tube 8a and move downwardly the burner tube and theentire inner movable valve member, thereby removing the sealing member18a from its position over the through-holes 17. Pressurized liquefiedgas may, therefore, flow from the refill vessel into the reservoir ofthe gas lighter via the tube 8a, the through-holes 17a, 17 and the hole36 on the bottom of the sub-housing 1a. The sealing ring 46 prevents theescape of gas between the outer periphery of the burner tube 8a and thewalls of the bore 8 of the inner movable valve member 7a. Similarly,when the burner-inlet valve is in the burner-open position, no gas canescape through the aforedefined passage.

FIG. 8 is an illustration in perspective of a gas lighter having aburner valve of the type illustrated in FIG. 6. As can be noted, thefingerpiece 49 has been depressed so that the snufier 30 has been liftedfrom the top portion of the inner movable valve member 7.

All of the aforementioned embodiments are adapted to function with onetype of refill vessel which is generally known in the art as the aerosoltype. The neck of this type of refill vessel is adapted to movereciprocally in its seat to selectively open and close the outletpassage of the refi-ll vessel. There exists, however, a second type ofrefill vessel in which the neck is fixedly mounted in the refill vessel.At the forward end of the neck of the second type of refill vessel thereis mounted a pierceable, self-sealing closure disc which is adapted tobe pierced by an inlet needle of a typical inlet valve well known in theart.

The various embodiments of the burner inlet valve illustrated in FIGS. 1to 8 of this invention maybe modified to be filled by a refill vessel ofthe second type defined above by means of an adaptor which maybepackaged and sold with the gas lighter or with the refill vessel. Suchan adaptor is illusrtated in FIGS. 9 to 11 of the drawing. As will benoted, the adaptor comprises an upper cylin drical housing which has aninside diameter suitable to receive the neck of the refill vessel of thesecond type. The upper housing 10 is seated in a lower cylindricalhousing 1d. An annular sealing ring 52 is wedged between the bottom wallof upper housing 10 and the internal shoulder of lower housing 1a. Acoiled compression spring 53 is securely mounted in the bottom portion54 of the upper housing 1c. A hollow piercing needle 55 has a portionwhich extends through the coil spring 53, through a central hole in thebottom wall of the upper housing and through a central hole in thesealing ring 52. The piercing needle 55 has upper through-holes 56 andlower through-holes 57 which connect the hollow interior of the needleto the outside. An upper annular projection 58 is provided on the needle55 below through-holes 56 and a lower annular projection 59 as providedbelow the through-holes 57. The coil spring 53 is mounted between thebottom portion 54 of the housing 1c and the underside of the annularprojection 58 of the piercing needle 55. The spring 53 urges thepiercing needle in an upward direction. As will be noted, the upwardmovement of the piercing needle is limited by the engagement of thelower projection 59 with the sealing ring 52. In the uppermost positionof the needle the sealing ring 52 seals through-holes 57.

The upper projection 58 provides a seat for the front end of a refillvessel of the second type referred to above. When the self-sealing discof a refill vessel is pierced by the needle 55 and the needle is fullyinserted in the neck 23a, the end of the neck comes to rest on the uppersurface of the annular projection 58 and then pushes the piercing needle55 downward against the action of the spring 53. The annular projection58 is adapted to move in and out of the bottom portion 54 of the housing10 and the lower annular projection 59 is adapted to move inside anarrowed neck portion 60 of the lower housing 10?. The neck portion 60includes an outwardly flaring flange portion 61. Preferably, a resilientwasher 62 is secured by any suitable means to the outwardly flaringflange 61. It should be noted, however, that the adaptor will alsofunction without such a washer.

In FIG. 10 of the drawing there is also illustrated a burner-inlet valveof the type shown in FIG. 3. This burner-inlet valve is shown in theinlet-open position. A refill vessel of the second type described aboveis shown mounted on top of the flange 12 together with an adaptor of thetype illustrated in FIG. 9. As will be noted, the neck of the refillvessel 23a has a self-sealing puncturable membrane 63 which is shownmounted at the outer end of the neck 23a. The neck 23a is provided witha forward plate 23b which has a central hole 230 adapted to receive thepiercing needle 55. A fixed inner sleeve 23d bears against the otherside of the sealing membrane 63 and thereby holds the sealing membranein place. The sleeve 23d is either press fitted inside the neck 23a oris glued or welded to the inner walls thereof so that it remains fixedin its position. In FIG. 10 the adaptor, piercing needle 55, and spring53 are shown in their lowermost position in which the needle 55 hasfully pierced the sealing membrane 63 and in which the neck 23a hasfully depressed the spring 53. In this position, it will be noted thatthe washer 62 acts as a seal so that no gas flowing from the 10 refillvessel can escape to the surrounding atmosphere except through theexhaust hole 25. However, a satisfactory seal can also be formed by themere abutting contact of flanges 61 and 12. As in the previous figures,the direction and course of the liquefied gas is shown by small arrows.

In FIG. 11 a gas lighter refill vessel and adaptor are illustrated inperspective to show the manner in which the adaptor may be placed overthe neck of the refill vessel and in which the refil-l vessel andadaptor are placed on the top flange 12 of a burner-inlet valve so thatthe gas lighter may be refilled by means of the refill vessel. Theburner-inlet valve illustrated in FIG. 1E1 is of the type illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 10 but also includes gas flow adjusting means (note theknurled wheel 27) of the type illustrated in FIGS. 4-7.

The sealing members and sealing rings illustrated in the figures may beformed of a suitable resilient sheet material, for example, rubber,synthetic rubber or other suitable elastomer. The other parts of theburner-inlet valve may be formed of a suitable metal or plastic havingthe required physical and chemical properties such as a certain degreeof rigidity, substantial chemical inertness to the pressurized liquefiedgas, workability, etc. It has been found that brass. and certainplastics such as Delrin, are well suited for this purpose.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction withpreferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readilyunderstand. The invention is defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A burner-inlet valve for a pyrophoric gas lighter or the like whichvalve comprises in combination a valve housing adapted to be mounted inan air tight manner in the wall of the reservoir of a gas lighter, aninner movable valve member reciprocally mounted in said valve housingfor movement between inlet open and inlet closed positions, said innervalve member having a bore extending at least partially therethrough andcommunicating with the reservoir via an inlet and outlet fuel flowpassage means through which liquified fuel under pressure may be chargedinto the lighter reservoir when the valve functions as an inlet valveand an outlet passage means through which gaseous fuel may be releasedfrom the lighter reservoir when the valve functions as a burner valve,gas flow throttling means constructed and arranged to control the flowof gaseous fuel through said outlet passage means, and sealing meansconstructed and arranged to seal said inlet passage means when saidinner valve member is in the inlet closed position.

2. A burner inlet valve for a pyrophoric gas lighter or the like whichvalve comprises in combination a valve housing adapted to be mounted inan air-tight manner in the wall of the reservoir of a gas lighter, aninner movable valve member reciprocally mounted in said valve housingfor movement between inlet open and inlet closed positions, said innervalve member having inlet and outlet fuel flow passage means throughwhich liquified fuel under pressure may be charged into a lighterreservoir when the valve functions as an inlet valve and through whichgaseous fuel may be released from a lighter reservoir when the valvefunctions as a burner valve, gas flow throttling means constructed andarranged to control the flow of gaseous fuel through said outlet passagemeans, sealing means constructed and arranged to seal said inlet passagemeans when said inner valve member is in the inlet closed position andsaid valve housing and inner valve member being constructed and arrangedto provide vent passage means therebetween when said inner valve memberis in the inlet open position to afford communication from a lighterreservoir to the exterior of a lighter during charging of liquified fuelthrough said inlet passage means.

3. A burner-inlet valve for a gas lighter having a reservoir forcontaining gaseous fuel in liquid form under pressure which valveaffords controlled release of fuel in gaseous form from the reservoirwhen the valve functions as a burner valve and, alternatively, affordscharging of the reservoir with fuel in liquid form under pressure whenthe valve functions as an inlet valve, said burner-inlet valvecomprising an outer valve member adapted to be mounted in an outer wallof a lighter casing, an inner-valve member mounted to move in said outervalve member between open and closed positions as hereinafter set forth,said inner member having a bore extending at least partiallytherethrough and communicating with the reservoir via inlet fuel flowpassage means through which liquified fuel under pressure may be chargedinto the lighter reservoir when the valve functions as an inlet valveand an outlet passage means through which gaseous fuel may be releasedfrom the lighter reservoir when the valve functions as a burner valve,said outlet means positioned on said inner member to be within thelighter casing in which the valve may be mounted, burner gas flowthrottling means constructed and arranged to control flow of fuel intosaid fuel passage from said outlet means, and sealing means constructedand arranged to seal said inlet passage means when said inner valvemember is in the aforesaid closed position and to unseal said inletpassage when said inner valve member is in the aforesaid open position.

4. In a gas lighter or the like constructed to be charged with liquifiedgaseous fuel under pressure and including in combination, a casinghaving therein a fuel reservoir, and burner-inlet valve means carried bysaid casing, said burner inlet valve means including an outer valvemember fixed with respect to said casing and having therein a bore, aninner valve member mounted to move in said bore between open and closedpositions as hereinafter set forth, said inner movable valve memberhaving a bore extending at least partially therethrough andcommunicating with the reservoir via inlet fuel flow passage meansthrough which liquified fuel under pressure may be charged into thelighter reservoir when the valve functions as an inlet valve and anoutlet passage means through which gaseous fuel may be released from thelighter reservoir when the valve functions as a burner valve, burner gasflow throttling means operatively connected to said inner movable valvemember to control flow of gaseous fuel through said outlet passagemeans, and sealing means operatively connected to said inner movablevalve member to seal said inlet passage means when said inner movablevalve member is in the aforesaid closed position and to unseal saidinlet passage when said inner movable valve member is in the aforesaidopen position.

5. A burner-inlet valve according to claim 4 and which further comprisesbiasing means acting between said outer and inner members to urge saidinner valve member into closed position.

. 6. In a gas lighter constructed to be charged with liquified gaseousfuel under pressure and including in combination, a casing havingtherein a fuel reservoir, and burner-inlet valve means carried by saidcasing and affording controlled release of gaseous fuel from the reservoir when the burner-inlet valve means functions as a burner valveand, alternatively, the charging of the reservoir with liquified fuelunder pressure when the burnerinlet valve means functions as an inletvalve, said burner inlet valve means including an outer valve memberfixed with respect to said casing, an inner valve member mounted to movein said outer valve member between open and closed positions ashereinafter set forth, said inner movable valve member having a fuelpassage through which the aforesaid release of gaseous fuel and chargingof liquified fuel under pressure takes place, said inner member alsohaving an inlet passage in communication with said fuel charging passagethrough which the inlet flow of liquified fuel under pressure flows intosaid reservoir, said outer and inner valve members being constructed andarranged to provide a vent passage therebetween thereby providingcommunication between said fuel reservoir and the atmosphere duringcharging of said fuel reservoir when said inner movable member is insaid open position, gas flow throttling means on said inner movablemember to control the release of gaseous fuel through said fuel passage,and sealing means operatively connected to said inner movable valvemember to seal said inlet passage and vent passage when said innermovable valve member is in the aforesaid closed position and to unsealsaid inlet passage and vent passage when said inner movable valve memberis in the aforesaid open position.

7. In a gas lighter constructed to be charged with liquified gaseousfuel under pressure and including in combination, a casing havingtherein a fuel reservoir, and burner-inlet valve means carried by saidcasing and affording controlled release of gaseous fuel from thereservoir when the burner-inlet valve means functions as a burner valveand, alternatively, the charging of the reservoir with liquified fuelunder pressure when the burnerinlet valve means functions as an inletvalve, said burnerinlet valve means including an outer valve memberfixed with respect to said casing, an inner valve member mount ed tomove in said outer valve member between open and closed positions ashereinafter set forth, said inner movable valve member having a fuelpassage through which the aforesaid release of gas and charging ofliquified fuel under pressure takes place, and also having an inletpassage in communication with said fuel charging passage through whichthe inlet flow of liquified gas fuel under pressure flows into saidreservoir, gas flow throttling means on said inner movable valve member,to control the release of gaseous fuel through said fuel passage, andadjusting means operatively connected to said throttling means to adjustthe release of gas through said fuel passage.

8. A burner-inlet valve according to claim 1 and which further comprisesa pyrophoric gas lighter actuating mechanism mounted adjacent to saidburner-inlet valve, said actuating mechanism including a snuffer capwhich is pivotably mounted to move between a position in which itoverlies said inner movable valve member and another position in whichsaid inlet and outlet passage means are uncovered, and biasing meansurging said snufr'er cap into said valve overlying position to therebystop the release of gaseous fuel through said passage means.

9. In a pyrophoric gas lighter or the like that is adapted to be chargedwith liquified fuel under pressure, a burnerinlet valve comprising incombination, a valve housing mounted in an air tight manner on a wall ofthe reservoir of said gas lighter, an inner movable valve memberreciprocally mounted in said valve housing and adapted to move betweenopen and closed positions as hereinafter set forth, said inner movablevalve member being provided with an axial bore extending at leastpartially therethrough and also being provided with inlet and outletpassage means in communication with said axial bore, a filter elementadapted to throttle gas flow therethrough and being operativelyconnected to the lower end of said inner movable valve member and saidfilter element having passages through which a lighter fuel reservoir isin communication with said outlet passage means, sealing meansoperatively mounted in relation to said inner movable valve member forsealing said inlet passage means, biasing means constructed and arrangedto act between a said valve housing and said inner movable valve member,

said biasing means urging said inner movable valve member into saidclosed position, whereby said sealing means unseals said inlet passagemeans when said inner movable valve member is in said open position andseals said inlet passage means when said inner movable valve member isin said closed position.

13 10. A burner-inlet valve according to claim 9 and which furthercomprises second sealing means operatively mounted between the outerperiphery of said inner movable valve member and the inner periphery ofsaid valve housing to seal any communication between the reservoir ofsaid gas lighter and the atmosphere during the charging of saidreservoir with liquified fuel under pressure when said inner movablevalve member is in said open position.

11. In a pyrophoric gas lighter or the like that is adapted to becharged with liquified gas under pressure, a burner-inlet valvecomprising in combination, a valve housing having a vent opening andbeing adapted to be mounted in an air-tight manner on a Wall of thereservoir of a gas lighter, an inner movable valve member reciprocallymounted in said valve housing and adapted to move between open andclosed positions as hereinafter set forth, said inner movable valvemember being provided with an axial bore extending at least partiallytherethrough and also being provided with inlet and outlet passage meansin communication with said axial bore, a filter element adapted tothrottle gas fiow therethrough and being operatively connected to thelower end of said inner movable valve member, said filter element havingpassages through which a lighter fuel reservoir is in communication withsaid outlet passage means, sealing means operatively mounted in relationto said inner movable valve member for sealing said inlet passage means,biasing means mounted between said valve housing and said inner movablevalve member, said biasing means urging said inner movable valve memberinto said closed position, said valve housing and inner valve memberbeing constructed and arranged to provide a vent passage therebetweenthereby providing communication between a fuel reservoir of a gaslighter and the atmosphere during charging of said reservoir when saidinner movable valve member is in said open position, whereby saidsealing means unseals said inlet passage means when said inner movablevalve member is in said open position and seals said inlet passage meanswhen said inner movable valve member is in said closed position.

12. The combination of a gas lighter or the like having a fuel reservoirto be charged with liquified fuel under pressure and a refill vesselhaving a neck portion with a pierceable membrane, said gas lighterincluding a burnerinlet valve comprising, in combination, a valvehousing mounted in an air tight manner on a wall of the reservoir ofsaid gas lighter, an inner movable valve member reciprocally mounted insaid valve housing and adapted to move between open and closed positionsas hereinafter set forth, said inner movable valve member being providedwith a bore extending at least partially therethrough and also beingprovided with inlet and outlet passage means communicating between saidaxial bore and said reservoir, fuel flow throttling means constructedand arranged to control the fiow of gaseous fuel from said reservoirinto said bore through said outlet passage means, sealing meansoperatively mounted in relation to said inner movable valve member forsealing said inlet passage means when said inner valve member is in theclosed position, biasing means acting between said valve housing andsaid inner valve member to urge said inner movable valve member intosaid closed position, and a refill vessel adapter constructed andarranged to sealingly connect said vessel to said inner movable valvemember, said adapter comprising a piercing member, having a boretherethrough, for piercing said pierceable membrane of said refillvessel, and a connecting conduit portion adapted to fit over said innervalve member thereby placing said refill vessel via said hollow piercingmember in communication with the interior of said gas lighter via saidbore of said inner valve member.

13. A burner-inlet valve for a pyrophoric gas lighter or the like whichvalve comprises in combination a valve housing adapted to be mounted inan air tight manner in the wall of the reservoir of a gas lighter, aninner movable valve member reciprocally mounted in said valve housingfor movement between inlet open and inlet closed positions, said innervalve member having inlet and outlet fuel flow passage means throughwhich liquified fuel under pressure may be charged into a lighterreservoir when the valve functions as an inlet valve and through whichgaseous fuel may be released from a lighter reservoir when the valvefunctions as a burner valve, gas flow throttling means constructed andarranged to control the flow of gaseous fuel through said outlet passagemeans, sealing means constructed and arranged to seal said inlet passagemeans when said inner valve member is in the inlet closed position,lighter actuating mechanism mounted adjacent to said burner-inlet valve,said actuating mechanism including a snuffer cap which is pivotablymounted to move between a position in which it overlies said innermovable valve member and another position in which said inlet and outletpassage means are uncovered, biasing means urging said snufier cap intosaid valve overlying position to thereby stop the release of gaseousfuel through said passage means, and a shut-off stem loosely andslidably positioned in said fuel passage, a portion of said stemprotruding outwardly from said inner valve member into interferingrelation with said snuffer cap when the latter is in overlying position,said interfering relation urging said stem into said fuel passage toobstruct the passage and thereby stop the release of gaseous fueltherethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,163 6/1956Zellweger 141-330 2,620,643 12/1952 Nissen 677.1 2,708,347 5/ 1955Cameron.

2,720,098 10/1955 Wagner 677.1 2,731,298 1/1956 Green 1412O X 2,882,9404/1959 Zellweger 141293 3,123,992 3/1964 Smith et al. 67-7.1 3,150,5089/1964 Smith 677.1

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. DUA, Examiner.

1. A BURNER-INLET VALVE FOR A PYROPHORIC GAS LIGHTER OR THE LIKE WHICHVALVE COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A VALVE HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED INAN AIR TIGHT MANNER IN THE WALL OF THE RESERVOIR OF A GAS LIGHTER, ANINNER MOVABLE VALVE MEMBER RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED IN SAID VALVE HOUSINGFOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN INLET OPEN IN INLET CLOSED POSITIONS, SAID INNERVALVE MEMBER HAVING A BORE EXTENDING AT LEAST PARTIALLY THERETHROUGH ANDCOMMUNICATING WITH THE RESERVOIR VIA AN INLET AND OUTLET FUEL FLOWPASSAGE MEANS THROUGH WHICH LIQUIDFIED FUEL UNDER PRESSURE MAY BECHARGED INTO THE LIGHTER RESERVOIR WHEN THE VALVE FUNCTIONS AS AN INLETVALVE AND AN OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS THROUGH WHICH GASEOUS FUEL MAY BERELEASED FROM THE LIGHTER RESERVOIR WHEN THE VALVE FUNCTIONS AS A BURNERVALVE, A GAS FLOW THROTTLING MEANS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO CONTROLTHE FLOW OF GASEOUS FUEL THROUGH SAID OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS, AND SEALINGMEANS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO SEAL SAID INLET PASSAGE MEANS WHENSAID INNER VALVE MEMBER IN IN THE INLET CLOSED POSITION.